You're Not Alone
by shewastheuniverse
Summary: Ange decides to try and talk to Dom about what happened with Isaac, but will he open up? Set after 21x21.


**A/N - I haven't uploaded in years so I'm hoping this isn't too bad :'). Please feel free to leave a review or any constructive criticism. This is set after episode 21 after Isaac's return. That's what they're referring to at the start but I'm not sure if it's a bit too vague to pick up on. Anyway, nervous ramble over! Thanks for reading :) x**

Ange was about to pocket her vape and head back inside when something caught her eye. She turned her head, staring sadly at the sight of her son. He looked like he was lost in his own little world, his face drawn into a frown. Presumably as he thought about today's events.

Ange sighed, pocketing her vape as she walked over to him. She didn't know how welcome she would be, but she couldn't just leave him. Because he was her son. And he'd been through hell and back, all while she hadn't been there.

"Hey." Ange said as she reached him. Dom looked up, broken out of his thoughts, but he didn't reply. Ange sat down next to him on the bench, Dom staring straight ahead, presumably ignoring her. "Want to talk about it?" She offered.

"Not really." Came the sharp reply. All he ever seemed to do was need to talk about it. And he didn't want to, not with her anyway. He just wanted to go home and sleep, bury his head in the sand, ignoring what tomorrow would bring. Because _he _wasn't leaving; _he _had to stay with his dad.

Ange mentally sighed; she knew this would be tough. He didn't want to open up to her and that was her fault. "It might help." She said, trying again. She turned her head to look at his reaction, but his face remained blank. He'd evidently mastered that mask a long time ago; like mother, like son.

"Look, Dom. I know I wasn't there for you when you needed me, and I'm so, so sorry. If I could go back and take away all your pain, I would do it in a heartbeat." Ange continued, sensing that he wasn't going to reply. He was trying to push her away, and she deserved it. But it worried her, because who else could he turn to?

"Well, you can't. So, just drop it, ok?!" Dom snapped back. He was on a mission to self destruct. He wanted to be alone, so he continued to push everyone away, but he also didn't want to be alone. The fear of being alone was what had pushed him to contact Isaac in the first place, so why did he continue to push everyone away? Maybe because it was what he deserved?

"No, I won't!" Ange refused, knowing what he was doing. "I don't care how much you push, you yell, I will always be there for you. Because you're my son, and I should've been there for you a long time ago. And I'm so sorry, Dominic. I'm so sorry." She quickly blinked back the tears that had welled up.

She'd only known he was her son for a short amount of time, but she was already fiercely protective of him, especially after discovering what had happened with Isaac. But even before she'd found out, she'd been protective of him. She'd never understood why she was so drawn to him, but after the truth had come out everything started to make a bit more sense.

"But Chloe still comes first?" Dom said, finally turning to look at her. "You say all that crap about wanting to be there for me, but then you tell me that Chloe comes first?" He scoffed disbelievingly as he turned to look forwards again, not wanting to see her hurt reaction. "It's a bit late now, anyway. So go back to your favourite child, the one you kept. I'll be fine by myself, always have been."

Ange sighed regretfully. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." She paused, unsure of how to continue. She'd never had to be a mother to anyone other than Chloe; sure, she'd acted like other people's mother's, checking they're ok etc, but she'd never had to prioritise anyone as much as Chloe before.

And it wasn't that Chloe was her favourite, or that she loved her more than Dom, it was just that she _knew _Chloe, she'd watched her grow, been there for her. Chloe was completely hers, but Dom was hers and Carole's and Barry's; she hadn't earned the right to be his mother. Ange just wasn't used to having another child around, she didn't know how to act, or even if she should be prioritising Chloe as much as she was.

Ange tried to be as honest as she could as she continued talking; honesty was the best policy after all. Ange turned to look at Dom, hoping that he'd know she was being truthful. "I...I'm learning. I don't know how to be a mother to two children, Dom. God, I'm a crap enough mother to one. But, I've never had to look after two children. Chloe's been my priority for the last 30 odd years, and I'm still learning to adjust to making you _both _my priority. Just because I said she came first, doesn't mean I love you any less. You're both my children and I love you both equally. But Chloe doesn't have anyone else. She needs me. You have-"

But Dom cut her off, standing up angrily and facing her. "I don't have anyone!" He shouted, aware of how spoilt he sounded but not caring. "My 'parents' aren't really my parents and they spent my _entire _life lying to me. My best friend is pregnant, my other best friend is dead. My husband cheated on me with some random in Las Vegas because apparently I wasn't paying him enough attention. My sister doesn't want anything to do with me, and neither does my mother!"

Ange listened, feeling so terribly guilty about giving him away. But she'd had to, she had no choice. But that didn't mean she didn't cry herself to sleep at night, wondering how she could've gotten it so wrong. Her baby, her little boy was hurting, and she'd fobbed him off by telling him he had so many people in his life. But he didn't, he felt so alone and she hadn't noticed. She was a terrible mother.

Dom scoffed, before he began to pace furiously. "Do you know, I actually felt so alone that I turned to my abusive ex! And out of everyone I apparently 'have' to talk to, he was the only one who actually cared enough to listen to me." Dom stopped pacing, turning to face Ange once again, his angry eyes filling with unwanted tears. "So don't you dare tell me I'm not alone or that I don't need you!"

Ange looked at him in horror, her heart breaking. Her baby had gone back to the one person who'd hurt him for comfort. Because he'd felt _that _alone. He'd found more comfort in a monster than her, his actually mother.

Dom panted heavily, as he finished speaking. His heart was racing and he'd just realised what he'd done. She was going to leave him too. She had every right to hate him. "I'm sorry," Dom sobbed, falling to the floor as his knees gave away. He didn't have the effort to remain upright anymore. "I'm sorry." He cried, the back of his hand pressed against his mouth, trying to stifle his noisy sobs. His other hand was pressed against the floor, supporting his weight as he cried on his knees in front of his mother.

Ange didn't hesitate as she rushed forwards towards Dom and wrapped her arms around his shoulder. "Shh, it's ok, it's ok. I've got you. You're safe." Ange whispered comfortingly as Dom cried into her shoulder, his other arm moving from the floor to wrap around her back. Ange supported his weight as he sobbed, her heart breaking at how heartbroken her baby sounded.

Dom's sobs eventually subsided into noisy sniffles, but he didn't move away. He continued to hide his face in his mother's shoulder, needing the comfort. He breathed in and out shakily, trying to regain some sort of control.

But truthfully he just wanted to cry again. Because she hadn't left. He'd known her for literal months and she'd stayed after he'd shouted at her. Barry would've left by now, maybe even Carole if Barry had had enough say in it. But Ange didn't leave, she just gave him a hug. She was still there; his mum was still there.

But as he started to completely calm down, embarrassment washed over him as he thought about what he'd done and said. Why was she still there? Was she tricking him?

'_She'sgoingtoleave-She'sgoingtoleave-She'sgoingtoleave_,' swam around in his head.

"It's ok," Ange reassured. "You're ok, I've got you." She continued to gently rock him, almost like she was trying to get rid of his negative thoughts. "I'm going nowhere." She dropped a kiss onto his head, trying to portray how much she cared for him through that simple action.

"You're safe." Ange continued, and for the first time all day, he actually felt it.


End file.
